New Terran Media Networks

The Media of the Second Empire of New Terra consists primarily of television, radio as well as numerous digital sources throughout the net.

For much of New Terra's history since the founding of the First Empire with the Collapse of the Republic the majority of media sources were state-run. Independent media outlets only began to develop relatively recently with the rise of the Commonwealth and greater liberal reforms overseen by the early military-controlled government with the domination of Hyeon Taejo's New Guard Liberals in the Imperial Diet. Although New Terra has once again changed itself back to the old Imperial System many of it's liberal reforms remain in effect and there remain several successful news sources although the state-run outlets such as Ambrosia Today, NTCT and the Tranquil Daily continue to dominate much of the market.

Regardless of continuing reforms, state institutions and regulatory agencies such as the General Administration of Press and Publication and the State Administration of Film, Television and Information continue to set strict regulations on subjects which the New Terran Government considers taboo, including but not limited to the legitimacy of the Emperor, government policies in Tahar and Heraklios, pornography and sensitive political topics such as Noble Privileges and wealth inequality.

Despite heavy government monitoring, many news agencies find themselves being able to get away with quite a lot as the institutions tasked with censorship utilized common sense to help manipulate public opinion more effectively.

Major News Outlets:

NTCT, standing for 'New Terran Central Television', NTCT is one of the largest state-run media outlets in the country primarily concerning itself with domestic affairs and developments.Ambrosia Today, another major state-run domestic news source, focusing on developments on the economically and corporate focused planet of Ambrosia.The Tranquil Daily, a state-run news source primarily focused on developments on Tahar and Heraklios as well as their neighboring moons.The Watchman, the popular 'whistleblower' site that covers both domestic incidents as well as Galaxy-wide developments, frequently in criticism of unseemly behavior by contemporary states.People's Tribune, a Socialist news source often concerning itself with criticism of the central government.Galactic Relay, a business focused publication that primarily concerns itself with intergalactic finances.Adbhuta Pīpalsmūla, translated as 'Great Source of the People', one of the more popular official Tahari sources.Vivaraṅṅaḷ Paramparāgata, roughly translated as 'Traditional Information Source', the Heraklion news source heavily dominated by Heaucha Nushub and his political supporters.

Anwar HayounThe ex-rebel Heaucha Nushub called for "shut down" protests to pressure the local government to step down.

Police have clashed with hundreds of protesters from the opposition Heraklian Rakyat League, who were attempting to shut down the eastern city of Lyallpur as part of it's leader Heaucha Nushub's movement against the local Tahari-dominated government.

Police used water cannons, batons and tear gas on Monday against protesters in several areas, including the central Gallit Rowe area, local news television footage showed.

The situation remains tense as supporters of the HRL, also known as the Heraklian People's League, refuse to back down.

Protesters conducted sit-ins and massed marches at main intersections in the city, a major economic hub, and shouted slogans against the Kesatuan Bersama League government.

They burned rubber and blocked roads, while KBL workers threw rocks and used batons to try and push them off, prompting local entrepreneurs in the area to shut down their shops.

Small groups of HRL supporters openly clashed with KBL workers as well.

The protest is part of a call Nushub made earlier this month calling for "shut down" protests to be held in serveral Heraklian cities to increase pressure on the KBL government, before a planetwide strike later in the year.

Nushub, a former rebel leader, popularly alleges that the Tahari-lead Dominion of the two planets is heavily biased against Heraklios with priority funding, development, security and improvements of infrastructure being focused on Tahar instead of equally between the two planets, this is part of a series of allegations by Nushub and his coalition of supporters that the native Heraklians are heavily marginalized in comparison to the humans and Tahari that inhabit the Dominion.

Since the beginning of the year Nushub has been a major voice for anti-imperialism and equality and with the upcoming elections predicted to be a major win for his party his tactics to garner publicity are seen as a natural conclusion.

An alarming rise in the number of killings of political activists on Heraklios only a few days before heavily disputed parliamentary polls has left grassroots-level campaigners across the country fearing for their lives.

Labelling the arrests and subsequent deaths of Heraklian activists 'extrajudicial killings', opposition leaders have blamed the Tahari-backed government for purposefully targeting activists. Several activists from the ruling pro-Tahari party have also been killed in assassinations over the past several months.

Human rights groups fear that the crisis is likely to become even worse in coming months if the government does not take drastic steps to bring the killers to justice, many individuals have claimed that a 'civil war' was nearing the beleagured nation as a result of increasing tensions due to claims of 'economic discrimination' against the Heraklions majority by the dominant Tahari.

Deaths in custody

Nashur Talibshan was arrested last week, his neighbours told The Watchman, "Security Forces sources had later informed everyone that following a lead a team of 'joint forces'(most likely paramilitaries) had conducted a raid," said Saifan Bushub, a journalist based in Erossejja. "After they were attacked by opposition activists, a gunfight ensued between the two sides, during which Nashur was shot."

The HRL activist died a few hours later, at a nearby hospital. The police allege that Talibshan was involved in the killing of Chaitya Nushub, a local ruling party leader, about a day earlier.

While the names and locations change, the stories often remain the same across the nation as police and security forces claim those who have been executed in custody had themselves been involved in some form of political violence or murder.

Only a few days later, Touhidulan Nasharub, one of the HRL's provincial-level party leaders, was also killed in a similar 'gunfight' after he was arrested in Konaisuri.

In a monthly report, Mpanaramaso, a Lyallpur-based sentient rights group counted as high as 30 extrajudicial killings which they allege were conducted by the state-sponsored RRG (Rapid Response Group), the police, as well as a variety of local Tahari colonial paramilitaries. The report also stated that 26 of those killed were either activists or leaders of the HRL, the country's largest opposition party lead by Heaucha Nushub.

Little confidence

Sentient rights groups fear the worst for Heraklios' political situation if the killings continue.

"The rate of killings have increased at an alarming rate," said Nur Mahan, investigative director of Mpanaramaso. "The targets are mostly opposition activists and leaders, if the opposition is not allowed to practice their democratically mandated rights to protest, they will eventually seek other familiar alternatives. If political killings continue the rise of armed religious and nationalist political groups will be inevitable on Heraklios."

Adam Sterling, executive director of the New Terran division of Sentient Rights Watch said the repeated use of the 'same old story' - that of a detainee somehow being shot when taken to the scene of an alleged crime - was a 'ridiculous situation'.

"These stories are even less believable when the victim just happens to be a politically unpopular person," he said. "The authorities simply have no credibility when they make these claims."

Under continuing fragmented governments largely dominated by Tahar, Heraklios has a long and well-documented record of extrajudicial killings through alleged "firefights", Sterling further told The Watchman: "The HRL, Tahari oversight government and Bersama League have all used armed forces against their political opponents."

He stressed that security agencies "should operate on a professional basis, free of political pressures."

"As long as this continues, the public in Heraklios will have little confidence in law enforcement agencies and will naturally seek to take matters into their own hands. I don't have to explain the disastrous effect this will have on local stability in a region already rocked with significant amounts of ethnic tension."